The invention relates to cleaning apparatus for cleaning the inside of large tanks and the like, especially for cleaning railroad tank cars, such apparatus including a sprayhead which rotates and simulataneously sprays streams of cleaning liquid under pressure, including a liquid detergent or soap. The sprayhead can be brought into several different operational positions close to and laterally of the axis of a tank opening/manhole by mounting the same on a curved holding bar extending through the tank manhole, the holding bar being supported by a holding device mounted at the manhole.
The cleaning of railroad tank cars carrying a large tank is made quite often difficult in that the tank has usually only one wide opening or manhole at the top thereof with the inside end faces of the tank being at great distances from the opening. This makes the thorough cleaning from the opening by means of spray cleaning devices almost impossible.
German published examined patent application (DE-ASS) No. 10/79/667 describes an arrangement of the above-mentioned kind, however, the holding device is a plate attachable to the tank manhole featuring a rotatable ball joint which permits slidable guiding of a knee-shaped holding bar. This arrangement allows insertion of the holding bar carrying the sprayhead at one end in the areas of the tank laterally of the opening while sliding and pivoting the other end protruding from the tank. To securely position the sprayhead holding bar, the end carrying the sprayhead is supported by the upper edges of wash plates and the like. This means that due to reasons of stability, no position at large distances from the opening are effectively reachable with this sprayhead arrangement.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a cleaning device which allows, based on its stability, controlled movement of the tank cleaning sprayhead to large distances from the tank opening.
The invention overcomes the above mentioned disadvantages of the prior art by providing a sprayhead carrier featuring an essentially C-shaped holding bar which is slidably guided over a curved, fixed path, so as to extend at an angle to the manhole axis (centerline extending vertically through the manhole opening). The carrier is also attached to a base by fixing or clamping to the tank manhole rim at the side facing away from the tank in a manner so that the carrier can be rotatably adjusted with respect to the axis of the manhole opening.
Since the holding bar is only movable relative to the carrier, the same can be rather advantageously simply designed with a very stable construction. The rotatability of the sprayhead carrier with respect to the tank opening axis is assured by the rotatable arrangement of the carrier at the base, while being capable of absorbing heavy loads.
The sprayhead, which moves with the holding bar along a well-defined unchangeable track with regards to the carrier, is adjustably positionable with respect to the carrier in dependence only upon the degree of movement of the holding bar with respect to the carrier.
The curved track, which extends diagonally to the verticle axis of the tank opening in the area of the tank opening, permits the sprayhead to reach positions far away from the tank opening without the sprayhead coming too close in distance to the upper or lower inside walls of the tank.
In accordance with an especially preferred embodiment of the invention, the end of the holding bar carrying the sprayhead is angled off radially outwardly with respect to the C-shaped part of the holding bar in such a manner that when the holding bar is in position with the sprayhead closest to the tank opening the angled off end part carrying the sprayhead extends along the vertical axis of the tank opening. In this end position, the tank sprayhead is simply insertable into the tank opening and the base can be set onto the rim of the tank opening by lowering the entire cleaning device from above with verticle insertion of the sprayhead through the tank opening. In a likewise simple fashion the cleaning device is removable from the tank opening.
The guiding of the holding bar is assured in a simple design in that the holding bar, while slidably guided between track elements in the area of the tank opening, is connected with a pivot arm of the carrier at the end of the holding bar facing away from the sprayhead. This pivot arm is pivotably supported at a horizontal axle extending through the center of curvature of the C-shaped part of the holding bar. Guide rollers are advantageously used as guide elements.
If need be, the holding bar could carry another part of guide elements or rollers disposed above the guide rollers in the region of the tank opening, which rollers are disposed at both sides of the plane of the curved track/path for the holding bar.
While it is the primary function of the pivot arm to guide the holding bar, the pivot arm can also serve to move or position the bar on its curved path when connected to a pivot arm actuator. Further, the pivot arm is advantageously designed to serve as a support for carrying tubes or pipes which deliver the spray material (soap, detergent) via a pressure valve through the holding bar to the sprayhead. Such spray material pressure connection is advantageously extended through the holding bar, constructed with a pipe like configuration for this purpose.